Greater Victoria child literacy program reaches major milestone

The group has donated 300,000 books over the past 12 years. (CTV News)

A celebration involving volunteers and donors in support of children’s literacy took place Wednesday morning at Rock Heights Middle school in Esquimalt.

Victoria’s "1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project" (or 1000 by 5) reached a milestone this month, having donated 300,000 books over the past 12 years.

The non-profit society collects new and used books, which get sorted by age, cleaned, wrapped in gift bags and distributed to Strong Start Centres and various agencies that work with families.

The goal of the project is for all children to have books in the home and to have heard, or read, 1,000 books by the age of five.

"If a child, by the age of five, has heard a thousand stories or one story a thousand times, he or she will be much better prepared for school," said Eileen Eby, executive director of 1000 x 5.

"In kindergarten they will know how books work, how literacy works, succeed more in school and ultimately succeed more in life," she said.

CFAX-1070's Ryan Price was there on behalf of CFAX’s Santa’s Anonymous to donate books and $6,000 to the cause.

To date, Santa’s Anonymous has provided $36,000 in funding over the past eight years to the project.

Other donors include Orca Book Publishers, which has donated more that $36,000 in the past 12 years, and has given the society a 65 per cent discount on buying new books from the publisher.

Empire Donuts, Rotary Clubs and several other organizations and companies have also contributed funding and books to help young readers get a head start on reading.

In a world of streaming television, electronic devices and busy lives, it can be challenging for parents to turn a page and start reading more with their children, but the benefits are enormous, says Eby.

"The attention to book is so different than the attention to screen," she said.

"The picture, the words, the imagination – and more importantly, probably, is the adult has put their phone down and the relationship that builds between the adult reader and the child accessing the story is huge," said Eby.

"Books are around to stay for a long time and have a strong role in literacy that screen time might augment but cannot meet."

Handling books, listening to stories and enjoying time spent with an important adult builds language, imagination, and many important connections in the developing brain, according to those involved.

1000 x 5 Children’s Book Recycling Project began in 2008 on the Saanich Peninsula and has grown to include families all across the capital region – from the tip of the Peninsula to the water’s edge in Victoria and out into the Western Communities, operating within 13 municipalities.

To learn more about the project or how you can help visit the 1000 x 5 website.